


Summer Songs of the Valkyries

by FindingTarshish, Kotobird



Series: Serenade Resurrection AU [5]
Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: All the gears are adorable dorks, Brief action sequence, Comedy, Day At The Beach, F/F, Fluff, some slightly lewd fluff/conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:01:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26010811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingTarshish/pseuds/FindingTarshish, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotobird/pseuds/Kotobird
Summary: Genjuro invites the gears for "special training" and everyone enjoys a day at the beach being dorks.Nothing too heavy here, just a bunch of world-saving heroes taking a break and having a nice time in which nothing bad happens.
Relationships: Amou Kanade/Serena Cadenzavna Eve, Maria Cadenzavna Eve/Kazanari Tsubasa
Series: Serenade Resurrection AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822039
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	1. Departure

With a clang of steel on steel, the elegant curve of Ame no Habakiri met the bold edge of Airgetlám. Serena gritted her teeth and pressed her sword forward, pushing Tsubasa back against the wall. With a mighty heave, the wielder threw her away from her. They circled each other on the abandoned street with palpable hostility, each searching for an opening with which to gut their opponent.

“So,” Tsubasa growled. “It has come to this.”

“I won’t stand down.” Serena said, her focus etched onto her face as she raised her sword.

Tsubasa swatted her sword aside and slashed at Serena’s shoulder, only for the Airgetlám wielder to leap back. “Then I will force you to!” she shouted. Her stance shifted, and Serena could tell: she was serious now.

_ “They say we live in the darkness,” _ Serena sang, dashing forward before Tsubasa could make her move and making deft cuts with her longsword at Tsubasa’s arm, forcing her to dodge left and right.  _ “They say there's trouble ahead. Every day there's sorrow: today, tomorrow—”  _ She lunged forward and with a armored silver glove, caught one of Tsubasa’s ankle blades as she spun into a Reverse Rakshasa, and threw her by the leg into the wall as her song grew to a crescendo.  _ “—But I'm dancing instead!” _

Tsubasa slammed into the bricks with a resounding crack. Serena flicked her arm and a silver dagger shot out of her gauntlet, tumbling through the air to rest in her hand. She launched herself at Tsubasa as the sentinel recovered, struggling out of the rubble. With a blade in each hand, she threw herself at the bluenette, weaving a web of silver and steel with dagger and sword. Tsubasa’s katana was instantly trapped between the hilt of her sword and the flat of her dagger, shattering the blade and forcing the swordswoman to draw another from the compartment on her thigh.

_ “‘Cause I can dance through the danger, the magic flows through my soul!”  _ Serena pressed the offensive, dodging a Heaven’s Wrath as it slammed into the ground beside her.  _ “All around, it's seeming, in the dream I'm dreaming, a better day can’t be far away!”  _ She somersaulted over Tsubasa, slashing her dagger across Tsubasa’s back.

Tsubasa growled and expanded her sword into an enormous curved saber, flinging a crackling Azure Flash at Serena. The silver-clad swordswoman leaned back, allowing the cleaver of energy to pass within a hair’s breadth of her nose. Serena slung her dagger at the wall, lengthening it into a bladed chain that embedded itself in the brick behind her foe. She willed the blade to retract, dragging herself toward Tsubasa. Letting go of the dagger as she contorted in midair, she twisted around and kicked the idol in the face, sending her tumbling backward.

_ “So I will dance through the danger, and fly away to the stars!”  _ She deflected a slash from Tsubasa’s katana as she surged forward from the ground. Tsubasa pressed the attack, but Serena dashed past her guard, grabbed her collar, and leapt into the air.  _ “Take my lead and I'll start it, to the beat of my heart!”  _ Airgetlám flashed as it gathered energy from its surroundings, charging for another blow.  _ “I'll never give up in my fight 'til the future is bright!”  _ She channeled the energy into arcs of electricity, electrocuting her opponent with crackling bands of silver lightning three times before throwing her to the ground. Tsubasa left a satisfying crater as she hit the street.

Serena touched down on the pavement lightly. Her intuition screamed in danger, and she threw herself to the side as Tsubasa spun out of the billowing dust, slicing the air with her Fearless Three Blades.

_ “So we will dance through the danger, Together, we’ll never fail!” _ She met Tsubasa’s snarl with a confident grin.  _ “We will forge a path to our destiny,”  _ she sang as she forced Tsubasa’s sword aside and thrust her hand out as if offering for Tsubasa to hold.  _ “I ask you to dance with me, so the world can see...” _

Tsubasa’s eyes widened and she almost grasped Serena’s hand before the brunette’s fingers curled and she punched her opponent in the gut.  _ “...That we can dance through the danger!”  _ She flicked another dagger into her hand, threw it, and knocked the katana from her hand.  _ “Together we will set sail,”  _ she sang, dancing around Tsubasa, her gear’s long coat fluttering in the wind.  _ “For a time and space with a faster pace, Seeing the world as a happier place!” _

Tsubasa made to elbow her in the gut, but Serena dodged, leaping back off the street and onto the sidewalk.  _ “Yes, we can dance through the danger.”  _ Tsubasa lunged, forcing Serena back. The two wielders fenced back and forth, until a sweeping slash forced her to retreat, smashing through a glass window and into a building.  _ “And fly away to the stars!”  _ Their footing changed rapidly as they danced around structural pillars and furniture, leaving a wake of fire, splintered wood and shattered stone behind them.  _ “Come along, don’t miss this,”  _ she lilted, punching Tsubasa’s shoulder with the palm of her hand to stun her and spinning her around. She placed the edge of her dagger against Tsubasa’s throat and the point of her sword on the nape of her neck. “'Cause I know that this is our time,” she whispered the last line of the song in Tsubasa’s ear.

With a clatter, Tsubasa dropped her sword. “I am bested,” she said, “Now make it quick.”

“Oh, stop being so melodramatic, Tsubasa-san,” Serena laughed, releasing her. With a tinkle of shattering magical steel, her gear dispelled.

“It is humiliating for a sentinel such as myself to be defeated by a—”

“Oh?” Serena said, putting her hands on her hips. “Defeated by  _ what _ , Tsubasa-san?”

Tsubasa squirmed. “N-nevermind! L-let’s go check on Maria and Kanade!” she said, dispelling her gear as well.

Serena sighed in exasperation.  _ I can see why Maria thinks this sword is so cute,  _ she thought.  _ Even if she leans into the whole ‘sentinel’ thing a bit too much. _ “Well,” she began, “shall we?”

Together, they made their way through the ruined lobby, past the still smoldering scars left by their fight. “That song,” Tsubasa said. “I’ve never heard a phonic gain infusion done in English.”

“Well,” Serena said. “I thought I’d give it a try. I think my output was a little lower, though.”

Tsubasa pouted. “So you’re saying you beat me without even using your full power?”

“Not even my final form!” Serena cackled.

As they passed through the splintered doors and out onto the street, they saw Maria and Kanade tearing down the street in their exercise closes, sprinting at full tilt. “You’re… not… gonna beat me… in front... of my girlfriend!” Kanade shouted as she put forward one final burst of speed. But she was forced to circumvent the crater Serena had left, and while she negotiated the rubble, Maria pulled ahead and skidded to a halt just past the two swordswomen. Kanade stopped a second later. “You and your stupid sexy legs,” she grumbled. “Who left that crater there?!”

“I did,” Serena said, crossing her arms with a teasing smile. “Are you mad at me?”

Kanade’s face lit up with her usual lubricious smirk. “Oh, I’ll get my revenge on you later.”

A previously blank section of wall shimmered and the simulator door appeared, sliding open to reveal Chris. “‘Sup nerds,” she called.

Kanade tossed a towel over her shoulder, grinning as she saw Chris enter the room. “Oh, y’know, just being gay as per usual.”

Chris stuttered and turned red. “D-do that stuff at home!”

“How can I, the  _ king of lesbians _ , possibly be gay  _ only _ at home, Chris-chan?” Kanade crossed her arms and pouted.

Chris recoiled, making a face like a cat that just ate a lemon. “The fuck does  _ that  _ mean?!”

Serena put a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Kanade…” she said, blushing madly.

“What’s wrong, my dear  _ queen of lesbians _ ?” Kanade tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a confused smile. She had no idea why Serena was so embarrassed. After all, she was being completely serious, it’s not like she was teasing anyone.

Maria’s eyes went wide as she glanced at Kanade and then her sister in rapid succession. “ _ What?” _

Serena squeaked in embarrassment, and Chris kneaded her forehead. “Okay, if you idiots are done, the Commander has some ‘special training’ for us to do.”

Kanade’s eyes suddenly lit in excitement. “Oh boy, really?!”

“Why do I immediately feel wary?” Serena said.

Tsubasa nodded, standing beside Serena. “Somehow, me too.”

Chris grinned. “Well, hopefully we can get through it this time without being attacked by any genocidal robots.”

“Oh!” Maria and Tsubasa said in unison. “It’s  _ that  _ kind of training,” Maria said.

“...What kind of training?” Kanade said with a confused chuckle.

“Basically, we all go to the beach and hang out,” Maria explained. “The Commander calls it training.”

“OH! Sweet! It’s the beach episode!” Kanade looked over at Serena with a smirk. “Does that mean I get fanservice?”

Tsubasa blushed as images of Maria in her swimsuit flashed past her eyes. She bit her lip and smiled.

Maria sighed. “Well, we’re not going anywhere if we don’t hit the showers and go home to pack.”

“Aww man… But I planned to shower with Serena and all…” Kanade sighed, completely ignoring Maria’s threatening glare.

“Hands off, we have to pack!” Serena said, poking Kanade’s shoulder.

Maria went from threatening to blubbering, and nudged Tsubasa. “Y-you too! Hands off in the shower!”

“WAIT A SECOND,” Tsubasa jumped in surprise, her face red. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Pshh, you dirty girl. Touching other girls in the shower like that, how could you, Tsubasa?” Kanade shook her head in mock disgust, grinning ear to ear as she teased

“N-No, wait, you’re getting it wrong I DID NOT TOUCH ANYBODY IN THE SHOWER—” Tsubasa blushed harder, flailing her arms to try and visually explain her utter confusion.

Serena put a hand on Tsubasa’s shoulder to calm her. “Tsubasa-san, she’s joking.” Then with a smirk, she added quietly: “But believe me, I can recognize my sister’s voice, even when she’s in your shower stall.”

Chris was a blazing red, practically glowing like a subcritical nuclear reactor. Finally, the containment broke, and she exploded with a thunderous “DO THAT STUFF AT HOME!” before dashing out of the room.

* * *

Serena hummed as she folded her clothes and laid them out on the bed to pack. Her various other sundries were there too, all gathered from the four corners of the house, and now all that remained was her clothing. Before she got any further in the task, there was a knock at the door.

Serena undid the latch on the door and opened it. 

“Heeeeeeeeeeey,” Kanade stood in front of her, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. “Soooo~ How’s it going?”

Serena sighed and went back to folding shirts. “It’s going. Any way I could ask you to help?”

“Sure thing~” Kanade got inside and closed the door behind her. She put her duffel bag near the door and walked over to Serena, looking over her shoulder. “Need help with clothes?”

“Please,” Serena said. She folded one last shirt, then went to her closet, unwittingly leaving the only item of clothing left to pack to Kanade.

As Kanade saw exactly what was missing, she smirked. “Oh, sure.” She walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer where Serena kept her panties. She dug through them, before noticing a pair she hasn’t seen before. She pulled them out. “Hey, I haven’t seen these before. When did you get something like this?” Her smirk widened.

The garment in question was a pair of skimpy panties with a string-like waistband and a thin T-back that served to cover nothing and reveal everything. A black lace butterfly lay just above the crotch, and just below it, at the stretch of fabric that would usually protect her precious place, lay an opening that allowed easy access for lascivious purposes. Serena blushed furiously. “I-I-I can explain!” she stuttered.

Kanade stepped closer to Serena, now imposing on her personal space. “Oh? Can you?”

Serena whined and backed up until she was against the wall, but Kanade kept apace with her. She gulped.

Kanade held them up in the air on a single finger. “You probably shouldn’t wear these to the beach, you’ll get sand all up in your bits.” Without waiting for her to explain, Kanade laid the panties gently back in the drawer.

Serena blubbered for a solid minute while Kanade leafed through her underwear drawer.

“Alright, here.” Kanade grinned proudly after neatly folding a few pairs of underwear and putting it together with all the other clothes. She felt like she just accomplished a very important goal. Folding underwear.

Serena breathed in deeply, took the pile and looked through it, then gave Kanade a patronizing glance. “You just picked the ones  _ you  _ like, didn’t you?”

“...M… Maybe...?” Kanade averted her gaze, chuckling nervously.

“Uh huh,” Serena said, rolling her eyes. “Well then, why don’t you find some bras that you like, and I’ll go get my swimsuit. No peeking, by the way; it’s a surprise.”

“Hey, that's not fair… making me wait to see it at the beach is cruel!” Kanade whined, but went back to digging through Serena's drawers and picking bras she obviously liked.

Serena grabbed the swimsuit, still wrapped in the packaging from the store, and carried it to her bag, shielding it from Kanade as the redhead tried to sneak a glance.

“You even went to buy it without me, that's even more cruel!” Kanade continued to whine and complain, bringing the bras over as well.

Serena took the pile of clothes, and gave Kanade a kiss on the cheek. “You’re lucky I went to buy it myself instead of going with Maria.” She suddenly paled. “Oh no.”

“Oh no…?” Kanade frowned slightly, confused by her girlfriend's sudden remark.

“Maria hasn’t seen my swimsuit either!” she said, her eyes wide. “Oh, she’s going to kill me…”

“Oh no… it must be something I'm  _ really _ gonna like then, right…” Kanade sighed and patted Serena's head. “Don't worry! I'm sure it's not  _ that _ bad.………. Right?”

“Uh…” Serena said. “Well, um… it’s not as bad as my sister’s…”

“Mhm mhm mhm. Maybe if you showed me, I could tell you what I think…” Kanade looked into Serena's eyes using her  _ ultimate puppy eyes _ .

Serena blushed, and it took all her will to keep from melting. “N-no! It’s a surprise!” But she knew if she kept looking in those eyes, she’d eventually crack. A devious idea came to mind to stop Kanade’s puppy eyes. She put the swimsuit in her bag, then suddenly tackled Kanade onto her bed, kissing her aggressively.

“Mmph?!” Kanade gasped before Serena kissed her, and now, she lost any advantage she had on her girlfriend. She gasped for air again when Serena let her go. “WH-WH-WHAT WAS THAT FOR??”

Serena licked her lips. “That’s what you get for trying to melt me with your puppy eyes.” She pushed Kanade back down, but before their lips could touch for a second round, there was a knock at the door.

“Oh no,” Kanade sighed, already knowing exactly who would knock and interrupt their kiss like this. “Now you’ve done it.”

Together, they went to the door and opened it. Maria stood there, her hands on her hips, eyeing the lipstick smear on Kanade’s face. “You two were supposed to be packing,” she said darkly.

“We were a moment ago! I swear!” Kanade crossed her arms, standing in a defensive pose. “You say this as if you didn't do anything with Tsubasa on the way here.”

Maria smirked. “Actually, I offered to pick Tsubasa up, but she already left on her motorcycle.” She crossed her arms. “So it’s just you two messing around. Did you at least finish packing first?”

Serena shuffled her feet. “Um…”

“Actually, wait. This wasn't my fault at all!” Kanade protested, pointing at Serena. “ _ She _ started it, not me!”

“Uh huh,” Maria said. “Sure.”

“Um, Sis?” Serena said sheepishly. “I, um… I actually…”

Kanade grinned. “She’s the top, not me.”

Maria paled. “W-what?” She looked at her sister with an expression akin to betrayal. “S-Serena?”

Serena squirmed and tried to back away, but Kanade put an arm around her and held her in place. Her face was a comical shade of red.

“Your turn,” Kanade said with a grin and a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So are  _ you  _ a bottom too?”

Maria blushed and sputtered, matching her sister’s expression. “W-wh-what are you saying?!”

Kanade's grin widened. “To be honest, I'm very curious now. Serena being a top may sound weird, but Tsubasa being a top may as well surpass that. So, are you the bottom?” 

Maria blushed even more furiously, if that was even possible. “I-I’m not telling you!”

“Fine,” Kanade picked up her bag from the floor and tossed it back over her shoulder. “I'll just ask Tsubasa. So are we goin'?”

“We can’t go yet,” Serena said, trying to regain her composure. “I...I didn’t finish packing yet!”

Maria sighed. “I’ll help,” she said, sweeping past them into the bedroom where Serena’s stuff was strewn out haphazardly. She frowned, looking down at one of the piles of clothes. “These are… interesting choices for clothes to take to the beach.” she turned around, holding up a pair of Serena’s lacy black panties.

Kanade gulped, looking away in case Maria figured out. “...What's wrong about taking some pretty panties to the beach?”

Maria turned to Serena, who was  _ very  _ intently inspecting the clothes in her closet. “Serena? I… didn’t know you wore these kinds of things.”

Serena made a big show of looking at her watch. “Oh would you look at the time! We should hurry!”

“Yeah~” Kanade smirked at Serena. “We should, we should. I think Maria here got too shocked too many times.”

Maria folded the lingerie and placed it in a stack of other similar clothes. While she was surprised that Serena owned something like that, she couldn’t really bring herself to chastise her, partially since her sister was hardly a child anymore, and partially because she owned a few herself. She put the various stacks of clothes in Serena’s duffel, along with bags of toiletries and other things. With a frown, she noticed a package nestled among the clothes, wrapped in brown paper. “Serena? What’s this?”

Serena’s eyes went wide and she grabbed the package out of Maria’s hands, blushing profusely. “I-it’s my new swimsuit!” she stuttered.

“Oh?” Maria said. “Can I see it?”

“Uhhhhhh,” Serena squeaked. “No.”

Kanade put a hand on Maria's shoulder. “She wouldn't let me see either. We're in the same boat here.”

“What kind of swimsuit did you buy?!” Maria said warily. She was learning a great deal about her sister today.

Kanade's eyes lit in excitement. “OH YEAH WE WANNA KNOW!” She yelled. “IT'S TWO ON ONE!”

Serena clutched the package tightly to her chest. “No!” she said. She was having a hard time keeping her mood straight: on one hand, she wanted to keep teasing her girlfriend, but on the other, she was horribly embarrassed in front of her sister, and she couldn’t well be both at once.

Seeing Serena's dire situation, Kanade smacked Maria's back lightly. “...We'll just know when we get to the beach.” She smirked.

Maria put a hand on Serena’s shoulder and took a deep breath. “Serena, there will be  _ kids  _ there.”

Serena shook her head vigorously. “Nonononono,” she sputtered. “It’s nothing like that!”

“Awww…” Kanade sighed. “But I hoped it'd be something like that…”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Well, as long as it’s not anything too racy…”

Serena pouted. “I assure you, Sis, it’s not as bad as yours.”

“Buh— W-what do you mean?” Maria sputtered, her eyes wide as her blush returned in force. “What’s wrong with my swimsuit?!”

“Oh, I actually haven’t seen that yet!” Kanade gasped. “I’ll have  _ two _ surprises, I guess.”

Serena could do nothing but blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER NOTE: The song that Serena sings in this chapter is Dance Through Danger by Jake Kaufman, from the Shantae OST.


	2. Arrival

The party walked along the gravel road, their bags slung over their shoulders as they made their way down the wide boulevard. Lush forest flanked them on either side. Chris complained about her feet, but after a bit of gentle ribbing, they largely stayed quiet. Slowly, the estate came into view. Six tall pagodas bounded the corners of the hexagonal campus, bordered by high, smooth walls of painted hardwood. Two huge ornate doors carved with a motif of dragons, barred the path before Genjuro pushed them open. The courtyard was bordered by sakura blossoms, stone shrines and fountains. In the center of the geometric grounds stood a large, pyramidal pagoda that tapered to a point at the top, surrounded by a wooden engawa dotted by ivy and flowers that ran along the outside of the house.

Genjuro pointed to the main building with a hand laden with his bag. “That one’s all yours!” He motioned toward a smaller outbuilding surrounded by lush gardens, likely a dowager house. “I’ll be over in there if you need me! Kanade-kun, you’re in charge!”

“Oh hell yes!” Kanade saluted, and then turned to everyone else. She could already sense their apprehension at this arrangement. “ _ I'm _ your mother hen now!”

“Why does that sound so ominous?” Chris said.

“Because it is…” Shirabe responded, hiding behind Chris.

“Dess dess…” Kirika nodded in agreement, hiding behind her senpai as well.

“Alright, you all,” Maria said. “Let’s all go inside.” She held up the key. “And since  _ I  _ have the key, I guess that means I’m the one who’s actually in charge.”

“Oi, who gave you th—” Kanade frowned, and then turned her glare to Tsubasa. “You traitor…”

“I… I thought Maria would be in charge…” Tsubasa looked away sheepishly.

“Oh, come on.” Kanade crossed her arms. “Am I not responsible?!”

“No,” Everyone deadpanned in unison.

“GAH—” Kanade felt like she had just been hit by a truck. She looked over to Serena with a look of betrayal. “Y-You… you’re on my side, right?!” She whined, holding onto her girlfriend’s shoulders.

Serena grinned. “Who am I to argue with the woman with the key?”

“NO!” Kanade cried out, shaking Serena’s shoulders. “She’s taking you away from me!!! Come back to me Serenaaaaaaa!!” She pulled her into a hug, pretending to sob uncontrollably. “Nooooooooooooooooooooo…”

“Ack!” Serena screeched. “Ow, quit it, you!” But Kanade only pulled her closer. “Fine, you’re in charge!” she said.

Kanade stopped crying immediately and looked down at her with triumphant eyes. “Gotcha,” she teased.

Chris grabbed Kanade’s cheeks and pulled. “If you’re done flirting—”

“Ahm Sowwry!” she gurgled, but as the lock on the door rattled open, Chris released her and stomped inside.

They all kicked off their shoes at the genkan — Maria tidied up the haphazard pile that was Tsubasa’s shoes — and together, they walked inside. It was a more contemporary style of house, with a centrally located kitchen and a common area, rather than the master and servant quarters of the old Kazanari estate. They reached a wing of bedrooms, and Tsubasa gestured at the doors. “Everybody pick a room. The bathroom’s at the corner.”

Serena dropped her bag in her room, then followed Kanade down the hall to hers. At the Gungnir Girl’s confused glance, she shrugged and offered an explanation. “Since you helped me pack, I’ll help you unpack.”

“Oh, you sure you don’t want to unpack your own? I don’t really need help with mine…” Kanade chuckled nervously, averting her gaze from Serena now.

Serena put her hands on her hips. “Oh, I see. How bad is it?”

“...Very bad…”

With a smile, Serena walked over and gave Kanade a kiss on the cheek. “Didn’t really expect anything else from you.” She brushed past the blushing Gungnir girl and took the duffel bag from Kanade’s hands as she was frozen in place by her complete gay panic. Seeing how Kanade was still stuck, Serena leaned over her other cheek and kissed her again. “Come on, it won’t help if you just stand here like this.”

“I— wait, wait no what just—” Kanade shook her head, her face slowly becoming as red as her own hair.

Finally in Kanade's room, Serena unzipped the bag to see how bad it was. “Oh…” she said. When Kanade had said it was pretty bad, she hadn’t been kidding. It looked like she had just grabbed the clothes she needed and shoved them into her duffel.

“I… I told you I wasn’t kidding when I said it’s  _ very _ bad.” Kanade walked behind her and wrapped her arms around Serena's waist, resting her head on her shoulder as she sighed. “I rushed too much and went to your place to see you…”

“Awww,” Serena said, twisting her neck, to nuzzle her girlfriend’s cheek.

“Alright, let's get over with this bullshit.” Kanade let go of Serena and grabbed a shirt from the bag, folding it in half along the spine. Serena did the same. After a few minutes, they’d dug through most of Kanade’s clothing, until Serena’s hand withdrew something unexpected from the bottom.

“Oh,” Kanade grinned. “Yeah, I found them when I was choosing clothes. Look, I even washed them for you!” The item in question being yet another pair of Serena’s panties Kanade adored, the very ones Serena had worn on her birthday. “And I was sure we lost them forever. Can you believe it?”

Serena held up the lace. “You know, you could have just given them to me…”

“Yeah, but… well… I,” Kanade sighed in defeat. “...Yeah, I planned it for later. Whoops…”

With a roll of her eyes, Serena stuffed the garment into her pocket. “Well, thanks for holding onto them for me.”

“Oh, my pleasure.” Kanade grinned, kissing Serena’s cheek. “And this is for earlier.” She chuckled as Serena blushed. “Anyways, thanks for helping me with this mess, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you here.” Kanade then looked at the clock. “Hey, since  _ I’m _ in charge, maybe I should go check how others are doing. Wanna help out?”

Serena grinned. “I’ll go check on Maria,” she said.

“Gotcha, I’ll check on Tsubasa then.” She suddenly grinned. “I may have asked Kohinata to help keep an eye on the rest of the dorks.” She said, walking over to the door.

* * *

Tsubasa looked up as Kanade sauntered into her room unannounced.

“Heeeeey~” Kanade grinned at Tsubasa. “So what’s up? Having any problems?” She walked behind her, resting her head on Tsubasa’s own head as she peeked into her luggage. 

“Just unpacking,” Tsubasa answered, trying to quicken her unpacking.

“So what did you bring with you?”

Tsubasa blushed and looked at Kanade nervously. “Just… you know… clothes.”

“Hmmm…” Kanade scanned the whole luggage, before spotting a different bag. “Oh, hey, what’s this?” She picked it up before Tsubasa could snatch it from her hands. She paled in a rare moment of embarrassed shock as she pulled out the object inside. “...Tsubasa, what the actual hell is this?”

The thing was a bright, translucent royal blue, a little less than 18 centimeters long shaft, criss-crossed with little fake veins. A round, bell-shaped point topped it off. The base of the rod attached to a black harness, secured by a steel ring. As she turned the assembly over in her hands, she saw a little nub on the inside, a vibrator embedded in the translucent rubber. Pleather straps folded neatly behind the harness, still creased by the factory packaging. The whole thing smelled of newly molded rubber and plastic.

Tsubasa flushed a radiant crimson. “That’s…”

“A strap-on, really, Tsubasa?” Kanade burst out laughing, shaking her head. “Have the words ‘special training’ got to your head before you could think? Jeez.” she wheezed, smacking Tsubasa’s head lightly. “You’ve advanced even further than I have! I can’t believe you, Tsubasa.”

“Even further than you have…?” she whispered.

“Even further than I have.” Kanade whispered back, nodding her head.

Tsubasa blushed even brighter. “I haven’t… um… actually used it yet…”

“Wait, so you’re telling me you planned to use it for the first time  _ here _ ?! Talk about boldness.” Kanade laughed, before putting the bag back in its place. “Good luck then, I guess.”

Tsubasa sputtered, her face now a blushing mess. 

“Hmmm… Maybe I should get one too. Haven't thought of this before, to be honest. I wonder if Serena would like it.” She smiled at Tsubasa, patting her head. “So I guess you're going to impale her on your new  _ sword _ , then you’re the top?”

“We switch,” Tsubasa said as she buried the bag under the clothes, before realizing what she just answered to. She whipped her head back toward Kanade, who was smirking in her usual mischievous way. “W-wait, wait NO THAT'S NOT—” Tsubasa's face went red as she stood up to chase after her friend, but Kanade was already at the door, waving a goodbye.

“Gotcha! Good to know! See you later~” Kanade laughed and closed the door before Tsubasa could reach her.

* * *

Maria crept through the halls from her room to Tsubasa’s. She’d waited half an hour after they’d all broken to go sleep; everyone else would be asleep in their rooms by now, surely. She winced as the floor creaked, then froze in surprise. That wasn’t her.

Rounding in front of her stood Kanade, dressed in a revealing nightgown, parted to reveal a lacy bra that did nothing to hold back her considerable bust, the same expression of surprise on her face. “Oh...…”

“Kanade?” she said. “What are you— oh….”

“We're out for the same reason, aren't we…” Kanade sighed, shaking her head.

Maria opened her mouth to issue a retort, but if it was obvious to her why Kanade was here, then it would be obvious to Kanade why she was here. The two of them whirled around as the floor creaked behind them. There stood Miku, looking as though she wanted to turn and run from this awkward encounter. She wore a light purple nightgown that shimmered slightly in the moonlight, contrasting with the sharp glitter of the silver diamond of Shénshòujìng around her neck.

“Oh hoh,” Kanade smirked this time. “So I guess that now the  _ three _ of us are here for the same reason.

“Oh? What are you all doing here in the middle of the night? Isn't it… midnight, dess?” Kirika suddenly appeared in between them, a confused smile on her face.

“...Wait a second, where'd you come from—” Kanade frowned.

“Shirabe's room.”

“Don’t you have your own room?” Maria said. Kirika just blinked at that.

“No, I think you're missing the point here,” Kanade crossed her arms. “Shirabe-chan's room _ is _ Kirika-chan's room.”

“So are all four of us here for the same reason?” Maria hissed.

“I guess,” Kirika shrugged. “But I'm first, dess!” She said, before rushing off to the bathroom.

“...Sometimes I'm glad she has no idea what's going on.” Kanade chuckled before turning back to the two other wielders. “Well, since  _ I'm  _ the responsible one, you both gotta make sure to be quiet. Chris-chan should have a good sleep, y'know?”

Miku squeaked almost inaudibly. “Of course.” she rushed past them into Hibiki’s room.

Kamade watched as Miku rushed off, and then turned to smirk at Maria. “Especially you. But… Good luck tonight.” She patted Maria's back before waving her a goodbye and rushing off to Serena's room.

“What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Maria muttered to herself as she opened the door to Tsubasa’s room. Her eyes widened as she looked inside. “Oh!”


	3. Awakening

Kanade opened the door to Serena's room, quietly closing it after herself as she entered the room. She turned around to see Serena already lying in bed, snuggled under a blanket on her futon, a soft contented expression on her lips. Kanade smiled happily and lay down beside her on the edge of the futon, lifting the blanket, wriggling underneath and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. “Hey,” she whispered, nuzzling Serena's neck. “Sorry to keep you waiting like this.”

Serena shifted in bed, humming as she looked at her girlfriend with half lidded eyes. “Took you long enough...” she mumbled.

“Sorry 'bout that. I wasn't the only one sneaking to somebody else's room.” Kanade chuckled. “Your sister couldn't even get mad at me because she was doing the same thing I was doing.”

“Hmmm,” Serena hummed. “That’s not like her,” she said as she extracted her arms from her blanket to wrap them around Kanade.

“Heh, I guess everyone's a little horny sometimes. But you can't exactly blame her, Miss ‘I’m so impatient that I’ll resort to a closet instead.’”

Serena’s half-lidded eyes snapped open. “As I remember, you weren’t exactly averse to the idea!”

“Well yeah, I can't really refuse when you're horny.” Kanade hummed, her smirk now present on her face. “Sure you were acting like a bottom, but obviously it wasn't a question there. Besides, I love your cute moans.”

With a blush and a pout, Serena looked away. “Hush, you.” She brushed a strand of hair off of Kanade’s face. “You know, someday you’re going to do something like that and I’m never going to let you hear the end of it.”

“But what if you’ll be too horny again? Will you be able to just wait?” Kanade pulled Serena closer to herself, kissing her forehead. “And we both know you can’t be angry at me for more than ten minutes.”

Serena pressed her forehead to Kanade’s and looked her in the eyes. “I can too stay angry at you that long.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you be too exhausted to be angry?”

“Hmmmm,” Serena grumbled as she pouted at her girlfriend.

“C’mon, you know I’m right.” Kanade chuckled, kissing Serena’s nose. “Admit it, you like it too!”

Serena blushed and looked away.

“So I take it as a yes~” Kanade said proudly, pulling Serena into another hug. “But we should sleep. The old man said we gotta be up early tomorrow.”

“So responsible,” Serena said. “I’m proud of you.” She gave her a quick kiss. “Good night, Kanade.”

Kanade’s smile widened as she nuzzled closer to her girlfriend. “Good night, Serena.”

* * *

Chris stomped down the hall, grumpily knocking on doors. The Old Man had asked her to wake everyone up, and after walking into the scene in her senpai’s room, she was already incensed.

She rapped on the door to Serena’s room. “You two better not be banging in there!” she yelled.

There were a few moments of silence, before finally, Kanade answered. “I-I’m the only one here!” She yelled back.

“This isn’t your room, dumbass!” Chris shouted back.

“Oh,” There were a few more moments of silence, before Kanade thought of her comeback. “I’M NOT HERE, YOU’RE JUST IMAGINING THINGS AND HEARING MY VOICE!” She shouted back, but then yelped with a quiet ‘ow…’

“Would you two quiet down?” Serena grumbled. “It’s 7AM for crying out loud.”

“Tell your pet rooster to quiet down first!” Chris yelled.

“You want a rooster?” Kanade shouted back. “Fine then! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!” she crowed at the top of her lungs. There was a loud tumble on the other side of the door as Serena tackled her girlfriend.

“I said… quiet down.” she growled.

“Oh, jeez sorry—” Kanade said, her voice trembling.

Chris turned red. Lacking any context for what was going on on the other side of the door, she had her own ideas, perhaps influenced by what she’d just seen in Tsubasa’s room. “You two…” she growled. She slammed a fist against the paper walls. “Breakfast is in ten minutes!” With that, she stomped down the hall and went to wake up Kirika and Shirabe, already dreading the rest of this job.

“Wait!” A voice called from behind her, as Kanade grabbed the back of Chris’ shirt. Her face was full of fear. “Please take me with you…” She whined, only for a pair of slim, pale arms to drape themselves around her neck and shoulders. Kanade froze as her girlfriend dragged her back into her room, insistently hugging her while she pouted. Serena stuck out a leg and kicked the door closed.

As the panel slid shut, Chris shook herself. “Why is that girl so scary?” she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Kanade entered the kitchen carrying her dizzy girlfriend in her arms. She sighed as she saw Kirika and Shirabe’s confused eyes on her. “She didn’t wanna wake up, what are you two looking at me like that for?” 

“M’not a mornin’ person,” Serena mumbled in Kanade’s arms. As Kanade deposited her in her chair, she leaned over to rest on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Headpats…” she murmured, purring as Kanade obliged.

Kanade patted Serena’s head, smiling as her partner leaned closer to her. “Seriously, why are you two looking at us like that?” Her smile turned into a smirk. “Can’t take care of your girlfriends as well as I can?~”

“Of course I can!” Shirabe said indignantly, grabbing Kirika and pulling her into a headlock as she vigorously patted her girlfriend's hair while she protested with a series of increasingly more panicked utterances of “dess!”

The door to the dining room slid open as Maria and Tsubasa walked in, looking slightly haggard without their usual hairstyles. As she slipped into the chair next to Kanade, Maria leaned over and hissed. “You knew what was going to happen, didn’t you? You could’ve warned me!”

“Warn you ‘bout what?” Serena purred as she snuggled closer to her girlfriend.

“N-nothing!” Maria said, turning red and recoiling.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Kanade looked up at Maria with her most innocent looking smile. “Did something... _unusual_ happen?”

Maria struggled to regain her composure. “N-nothing at all.” She looked at Tsubasa. “...right?”

Tsubasa didn’t answer, instead slowly sinking into her chair, her face even redder than Ichaival.

“Oh, so she summoned her mighty sword? Cool.” Kanade’s smirk widened.

“No symphogears in the bedroom,” Serena grumbled. “Not after last time.”

“Hey,” Kanade pouted. “We don’t talk about that!” She withdrew her hand in mortification.

“Noooooo,” Serena groaned. “Headpats please…”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Kanade returned her hand on Serena’s head, patting her gently. “There, there.”

At that moment, Genjuro walked through the door carrying a comically tall stack of pancakes. Chris followed behind him, carrying trays of eggs, breakfast meats, and other foods.

“Oooooh, pancakes!” Kanade got up to help the two. “Did you bring the syrup too?”

“Wait…” Serena said, her voice beginning to regain its lucidity.

“Hm?” Kanade turned her head to Serena after placing some plates on the table. Her smile shone with innocence.

Serena turned bright red, unable to say anything but a couple brief sputters at her girlfriend’s indiscretion. “What are you two talking about?” Maria asked. “Is there something wrong?”

It suddenly hit Kanade, and she smirked. “Hoho, I see~ oh Serena, you naughty girl.” She winked at Serena.

“Wait a second,” Maria said, her eyes widening and her blush returning in force. “You don’t mean…”

“N-no…” Serena squeaked, unable to meet her sister’s stare.

“Wait,” Kirika frowned. “What are we all talking about, dess?”

“Oh, just our favorite pancake syrups.” Kanade was grinning ear to ear

“Oh! Mine’s honey! It’s super sweet and tasty, dess~” Kirika said excitingly, now trailing off as she thought about her favorite food.

“See? Kirika gets me.” Kanade laughed.

“Don’t drag Kirika into this!” Maria said.

“Oi, catears, quiet down, will ya?” Chris grumbled.

“Um… I think we should talk about our plans for the day,” Tsubasa said timidly.

“Yes, that! We should talk about our plans!” Serena said eagerly.

“So, sexy swimsuits?” Kanade said with a smirk. “I still haven’t seen yours, Serena.”

“I wouldn’t mind hittin’ the beach,” Chris said, “but you better watch it, rooster! I may be small, but I can still dunk you in the sea if you get too horny!”

“Awww, but boobs…” Kanade whined, crossing her arms.

Maria and Serena swatted Kanade on the back of the head at the same time.

“Guh—” Kanade nearly fell over, rubbing the back of her head. “Don’t do that together! It’s twice the power one of you has!” She scoffed, turning to look at Maria. “What did _you_ punch me for?!”

“What do you _think?_ ” Maria said indignantly.

“...Are you jealous I was talking about Chris’ boobs and not yours?”

Chris stomped over and whacked her over the head. “Oi, leave me out of this!”

“Ow! But—” She glanced up, only to see Serena’s glare. “...Alright, alright.” She was interrupted by a lighter rap on her head as Kirika swatted her too. “Hey! You too?!”

Kirika looked taken aback. “Wait… is that not what we’re doing?”

Beside her Shirabe raised a hand. “Nonononono,” Kanade said. “You don’t get to whack me too!”

Right across her, Tsubasa stared at Kanade. Kanade inhaled. “Tsubasa, don’t betray me!” Tsubasa looked away immediately.

“Hey!” A cheerful voice suddenly called from the doorway, causing everyone to jump. “No fighting!” Hibiki said, now standing straight with an angry glance at the rest of the wielders.

“A fight implies it’s two-sided,” Serena said with a grin. “Pretty sure we’re just beating up Kanade.” Serena turned to look at Kanade, only for her girlfriend’s nail to impact her forehead in a small flick. She pouted as she rubbed her forehead. “Hey!”

“I don’t go down this easily.” Kanade smirked. “Not without a fight!”

“Hey, I said stop fighting!!” Hibiki whined.

“Are we fighting again??” Kirika said in excitement, ready to launch herself at Kanade, only to be stopped in her tracks as Shirabe grabbed the collar of her shirt.

“You can’t win this, Kiri-chan…”

“Awwww…” Kirika sighed, crossing her arms. “I guess not, dess.”

“Sorry we’re late for breakfast, everyone,” Miku said as she followed behind Hibiki.

“What were you two doing?” Kanade’s mischievous grin returned as she looked at Miku.

Miku averted her eyes. “S-stuff…”

Hibiki smiled energetically. “I’m stuff!”

“Nice,” Kanade grinned at the mortified Miku in front of her. Then suddenly, she shot Chris a confused look. “Wait…”

Chris rolled her eyes. “They were cuddling in bed. The dummy is just way too innocent.”

“Oh,” Kanade laughed. “To be as innocent as Hibiki is…”

“Wait, what are we talking about?” Hibiki blinked, looking from Chris, to Kanade and then to Miku. “Did I do anything wrong?”

Genjuro patted her on the head. “It’s best not to worry about it, Hibiki-kun.”


	4. Reprieve

The nine of them broke to go grab their swimsuits. While everyone filed away into their rooms, Kanade grabbed her bag and went to Serena's room to change.

"W-what are you doing here?" Serena stumbled. "Change in your own room!"

"Yeah, but if I change in here I might get to see your swimsuit sooner!" Kanade shot back. "Are you really upset about getting to see me naked?"

"Well, no, but—”

"Good," Kanade said with a smirk, and threw her shirt off, letting her bare breasts bounce free.

Serena turned red as she stared at them. "No bra?" she said, watching the slow sway of Kanade’s bust. Her brain screamed incoherently in a gay hysteria.

Kanade laughed, holding a breast in each hand. "Nah, no bra is strong enough to hold back my girls!" She let go of her chest and shook herself to let the two pillows jiggle and bounce while Serena stood transfixed. Hooking her thumb into her waistband, she pulled her shorts and panties off in one motion.

Serena was terminally blushing at this point. "W-w-what are you—”

Kanade put a hand on her hip. "You should get changed, otherwise we're going to be late."

Serena grabbed the package with her swimsuit and a bundle of other clothes. "Fine then!" she said, blushing as she ogled her girlfriend's boobs, slipping into the suite's bathroom.

Kanade sighed. She picked up her black bandeau and put it on, restraining her breasts and pushing them together. Her black bikini bottom followed suit, but as she tied off the side, she eyed her backside and grumbled at the look. The garment was as thin as a thong and generously showed off her butt.  _ This look is just not me, _ she thought, grabbing a pair of denim shorts from her bag and slipping them on over the garment.

Just as she finished dressing, the latch on the bathroom door rattled and the panel slid aside. Serena emerged from the bathroom in a sweatshirt and shorts over her swimsuit, eliciting a disappointed groan from her partner.

“Aw, come on! That isn’t fair!” Kanade scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She was hyped for this beach outing to be the first one with her girlfriend, and she thought that surely, she would be able to see the new swimsuit Serena so desperately hid from her before. “I was waiting for it…” Kanade mumbled, eyeing Serena with her perfect sad puppy eyes.

“And you’ll continue to wait,” Serena said. She reached out and poked the underside of Kanade’s breast. “I like yours,” she murmured, tracing her finger along the curve of the bottom of her chest.

“Uhhhhhhh huh.” Kanade smirked. “Okay, horny.”

“Says the one who’s mad about me wearing clothes,” Serena shot back.

“I just want to see your swimsuit! I’m your girlfriend! I wanna be the first one to see it!” Kanade whined.

Serena poked her nose. “And you will be,” she said coyly.

Unsatisfied with the answer, Kanade pulled her girlfriend closer, her pout now fully on display. “Come on… I’ll make you pudding!” Kanade suggested.

Serena looked her in the eye. “You will not impinge on the sanctity of pudding by using it as a bribe,” she said sternly.

“Oh, but you want pudding, and I want to see your swimsuit. Works perfectly, right? And you know I keep my word.” Kanade smirked.

Serena hated that she was tempted by that proposition. “No,” she said. “You have to wait!”

“Well, I’ll still make you pudding when we get home,” Kanade shrugged, letting her partner go. “I guess I’ll wait.”

"...Fineee," Serena whined. "Since you're so insistent on ruining the surprise, I'll show you the swimsuit."

"Yes!" Kanade said, pumping her fist. "Operation: Pudding Guilt Trip succeeds again!" She grinned at her girlfriend.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you have to turn around while I strip. You have to see it all at once."

Kanade's eyes widened. "Strip?! Oh, what a treat~"

Serena flushed red. "No, I mean— you know what? Maybe I won't show you my swimsuit!"

"Wait, no!" Kanade said in a slight panic. She sat down and crossed her legs. "I'll be good, I promise!"

Serena put her hands on her waist and cocked her hips. "So turn around..."

"Fineee," Kanade said, spinning around lazily. She fidgeted as she heard the sound of fabric over fabric and fabric over skin. Suddenly a pair of soft, fleshy pillows pressed against her back as Serena's arms draped around her neck.

"Hey," Serena said breathily into her ear.

Kanade felt a rising blush. "So do I get to see it now?"

"Hmmmm." Serena nosed her neck. "Here you go," she said, pulling away from Kanade.

Kanade spun around immediately, her jaw falling open as she beheld the heavenly sight before her. Serena's swimsuit was a tasteful skirt two-piece that toed the line perfectly between cute and sexy. The bottom was a tight black bikini that hugged her core, with two layers of thin light blue transparent skirt, ruffled at the edge. Two yellow bows, one on each hip, held the bottom together. Serena's bust was held back by a simple white triangle top, secured by a silver ring just below her generous cleavage.

"Like what you see?" Serena breathed, bending over to put her chest directly in front of Kanade's face. "Wait, is that  _ drool? _ "

Kanade  _ was _ drooling. How could she not be, when her girlfriend's delicious boobs were hanging in front of her face? Especially considering said girlfriend was dressed in an insanely sexy bikini and swaying her hips sensuously? As Kanade stayed frozen in a total internal panic, Serena reached down, carefully wiping the drool off her girlfriend's mouth and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

She rolled her eyes at Kanade’s dumbfounded expression and offered her her hand. “Well if you’re done having me show off for you, shall we head down to the beach?”

Kanade shook herself and smiled, taking Serena’s hand and interlocking their fingers together. “ _ Now _ I’m ready to go. Lets~”

Together, the two of them strutted out of the complex, down the pebble road to the beach. The gravel under their feet crunched. Kanade told jokes, and Serena laughed, skipping down the road as they made their way down to join their compatriots.

Suddenly, the heel of Serena’s sandal snapped under her, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground before Kanade caught her.

“Oh jeez—” Kanade helped her up, a concerned expression replacing her usual smug look. “You okay there?”

“Yeah,” Serena said, looking at her ruined sandal, and then at the sharp gravel that paved the road. “I’m not sure how I’m going to make it the rest of the way with only one shoe, though.”

“You won’t.” Kanade said, as she picked her girlfriend in a bridal style, smiling in her most charming way. “I can’t let my queen walk with one shoe.” She said in a charming voice as she continued to walk.

Serena yelped as Kanade swept her off her feet, her head resting on Kanade’s chest. “Oh, Kanade…” She said, reaching up to cup her girlfriend’s face as she looked up into her eyes.

“Heeeeey!” A voice suddenly called from afar, and as Kanade looked up, a genki Gungnir girl was running towards them. “You two look like a married couple!” Hibiki said excitingly, her eyes shining with admiration.

“Awww, I know right?” Kanade smiled proudly, holding Serena closer. “That’s just how much we love each other~”

Serena blushed and nuzzled her girlfriend’s neck, unable to muster a comeback for her girlfriend’s cuteness. Maria cantered over to her, a beach umbrella on her shoulder. “Serena? Is everything alright?”

Serena fixed her gaze on Maria and smiled. “My sandal broke on the walk here, and Kanade carried me the rest of the way.” She tapped Kanade’s arm. “Could you put me down now?”

“Oops, right.” Kanade gently lowered Serena to the ground and let her go.

Maria looked her sister up and down. “...you know, based on how anxious you were, I didn’t expect your swimsuit to be so… tame.”

“Oh, here you are.” Tsubasa joined beside Maria, interrupting her train of thoughts.

Kanade’s eyes fell on Maria’s chest. “Damn… Nice.” She said, rubbing her chin as if she was an artist inspecting a piece of fine art.

Maria blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. “E-excuse me?!”

“Kanade,” Serena said evenly. “What, perchance, are you looking at?” Her stare was constant and unblinking, a menacing reminder of her presence.

“Um… uh….” Kanade stammered in confusion and fear. “Hey, Tsubasa!” Kanade said, trying to extricate herself from between the two menacing Eves. “Bet you can’t lift your girlfriend like I can!”

Tsubasa’s eyes lit up in indignation. “...What did you just say?”

“I said, I bet you can’t lift your girlfriend like I can.” Kanade’s smirk widened.

“Oh, yeah?!” Tsubasa growled, before sweeping Maria off her feet and into her arms. “Of course I can!” She said proudly, but gravity had other plans. Tsubasa’s legs trembled slightly before she completely lost her balance, dropping both herself and Maria into the water.

“Heh~ I won, then.” Kanade chuckled.

“...Meanie.” Tsubasa scoffed.

“So,” Kanade began. “Wanna play some volleyball?” She grinned maniacally as she produced a ball from seemingly nowhere. “Shall we?”

“Senpai and I’ll crush you!” Chris boasted.

Serena crossed her arms and grinned. “You don’t know what you’re in for.”

“I’ll wipe that grin off your face, rooster!”

After thoroughly trouncing the Bayonet Charge duo, Kanade danced off, laughing the whole while, and dived into the water with a swimming ring to float lazily in the ocean, watching her girlfriend and Miku race each other down the beach. Back on the shore, Tsubasa was relegated to simply standing there, staring at Maria as she bathed in the sunlight.

Still grumpy at her sound defeat, Chris snuck up behind her, made a finger gun and pressed it to the back of Tsubasa’s head, then startled her with a shout of “Bang!”

“Yukine—”

“Watching your girlfriend?” Chris teased.

Maria yawned, woken by the loud noise. “What are you two up to?” she said, stretching out her arms and legs.

Tsubasa’s gaze was even more infatuated than before as she stared at Maria’s long, lean legs flexing and stretching. Chris nudged her. “Oi, senpai!”

“H-huh?!” Tsubasa started, her cheeks a rosy shade of red.

“Come’ere,’ Maria yawned, scooting over on her chair and patting the spot beside her. “Care to join me?”

“Nope! I’m out!” Chris shouted. She wagged a finger at the two of them. “I  _ will  _ put you in the sea if you two start making out!”

As Chris turned around to leave Maria and Tsubasa, she froze in her place, blinking confusingly at the scene unfolding in front of her. Laid out sleeping peacefully on the sand was Hibiki, a tranquil look on her face. But the majority of her body was completely buried in a massive, multi-tiered sandy metropolis, cradling her head in a gated courtyard while the rest of the city towered over her body. On the far side of the impressive sandcastle, Hibiki’s toes peeked out of the sand, wriggling every once in a while and causing the wall beside them to crumble. She glanced towards the source of this insane hazzard, only to see Kirika and Shirabe, still continuing to build on top of Hibiki.

_ How did we even leave these two unsupervised?  _ Chris shook herself and slowly approached behind them, crossing her arms in annoyance. Seeing how the two troublemakers totally didn’t bother to notice her presence, she gently rested a hand on each one’s shoulder and gripped it tightly.

The two quickly turned around, fear in their eyes. Kirika let out a startled ‘dess!!’ as her shoulder was gripped.

“And what do you think you’re doin’?” Chris whispered angrily, receiving a gulp from the pair.

“W-W-We… we were just building! And made Hibiki-san the princess of this castle! ...She’s the sleeping beauty now, dess!” Kirika whispered back, before her shoulder was gripped tighter.

“That’s it.” Chris growled, dragging the two of them away from peacefully sleeping Gungnir girl. “Now we gotta figure how to get the idiot out of a sandcastle.”

Everyone packed their stuff, readying themselves to leave back to the estate. “Did everyone take all the stuff they brought?” Kanade looked around at everyone.

Miku gasped. “Wait, where’s Hibiki?!” She looked around, before noticing her girlfriend’s golden hair, and the huge sand castle above her. She rushed over, kneeling beside her. “Hibiki!”

“...Huh?” Hibiki opened her eyes, yawning as she looked at Miku. “Oh… hey Miku! ...Did I oversleep?” She tried to move her arm, but found herself completely paralyzed. This was the moment she realized,  _ there’s a giant sand castle on top of her. _ “Oh—” She blinked. “...I can’t move…”

Miku looked around, only to spot Kanade not too far from them, ready on her arms and legs already pushing behind her for a sprint. She looked into Miku’s eyes, her smirk widening while everyone else begged her not to do what she was about to do, except Shirabe and Kirika who seemed to look forward to it.

“H… Hibiki… close your eyes,” Miku gulped, backing away from Hibiki.

“Oh? Alright—” Hibiki did as she was told to, and the moment she did, a certain giant rooster slammed into the castle with the force of a thousand battering rams, toppling turrets and shattering walls.

As the two Gungnir wielders struggled to shake the sand out of their hair, the rest of them finished up their packing. Serena approached her girlfriend and brushed a few stray grains out of her hair. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Kanade said back.

“My sandals are still broken,” she said flirtily.

“Oh my,” Kanade said with a grin. “Guess I gotta carry my wife.” Serena yelped as Kanade suddenly swept her off her feet, giving her a little kiss on her forehead. “Can’t let you walk home barefoot, can I?” Kanade said.

Serena’s blushed wildly. “Y-you! How are you so smooth?!”

Kanade grinned with a wildness that matched Serena’s blush. “Hehe, I’m just that good!”

Serena sighed, resting her head against Kanade’s shoulder. “You are.”

“Oi!” came a shout from the other side of the beach. “If you two are done flirting, we’re leaving!”

Maria walked over to them and slung Serena’s bag over her shoulder, while Tsubasa did the same with Kanade’s. “Come on, you two,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are curious about what Serena's Swimsuit looks like, I drew some concept art: https://twitter.com/FindingTarshish/status/1285683020876468226


	5. Contemplation

The lot of them trudged into the main house, all in various degrees of disarray. Miku was still trying to get the sand out of her shoes, and Hibiki was having an even harder time getting errant grains out of her hair.

As they entered the dining room, they all gasped in unison. Before them stood a veritable feast of festival food, plates laden with takoyaki, yakisoba, anpan, and a variety of other dishes.

“Woah,” Maria said as she held up a tri-color dango. “Where did all this…?”

Genjuro’s booming voice echoed as he walked in carrying a plate of taiyaki. “The kitchen staff at HQ pitched in and prepared a meal for you all.”

“Wow,” Chris said, before she zeroed in on her favorite food. “Is that anpan?!”

“Ye—” Genjuro began, only for Chris to zip past him and grabbed one of the rolls and bit down.

“Yukine! At least sit down first!” Tsubasa chastised.

Chris danced around, holding the bun like a long lost friend. “Sorwy, I can’ hear ‘ou over my red bea’ paste!” she said while chewing.

“Chris, you should chew your food first...” Miku said, causing Chris to stop in her tracks.

“Ok,” she said sheepishly, plopping down in a chair.

Hibiki giggled. “Hehe, Chris-chan’s been tamed.”

“Oi!” Chris said, leaping to her feet. But Miku was there in a flash, gently but insistently taking hold of her shoulders and pushing Chris back into her seat. Quietly laughing, they all took their seats. Serena leaned against Kanade’s shoulder and closed her eyes, smiling happily. She was exhausted from her earlier sprinting and the volleyball game beforehand.

“Hey,” Kanade said, combing her girlfriend’s hair with her fingers.

Serena hummed. “You feel gritty,” she said, without opening her eyes.

Kanade scratched Serena’s scalp gently, causing her to purr happily. “Tired?”

“M’hm,” she said, snuggling closer.

“Here, open wide,” Kanade said, cutting a chuck of yakitori on her plate.

Serena opened her mouth. “Ahhhhhhhh,” she said, sticking out her tongue and letting Kanade place the morsel in her mouth. She chewed gratefully, snuggling closer to her girlfriend.

Kanade served two plates, one for herself and the other for her cuddly girlfriend, occasionally taking a moment to feed Serena. “I made you a plate,” she said.

“Noooooooo,” Serena groaned, hooking her arm in Kanade’s. “Feeed meeee…”

Kanade shot a glance at Maria, who was glaring from across the table.  _ “What should I do?”  _ she mouthed.

Maria shrugged.  _ “Go ahead,”  _ she mouthed back, leaning in on her arms as if she was some sort of a detective. She continued to glare, inspecting the two lovebirds in front of her.

Kanade’s eyes widened at the permission. Well, she couldn’t turn back now. She lifted a sweet potato taiyaki and gently pressed it to Serena’s lips. She bit down with an adorable  _ nom. _

Across the table, Maria and Tsubasa both blushed wildly. They both  _ wanted  _ to mirror Kanade and Serena, but neither had the guts to feed the other or ask to be fed.

Kande gave Maria a patronizing look, then gestured pointedly at Tsubasa with her eyes.  _ “You gonna do something about that?”  _ she mouthed with a grin.

Maria blushed deeper, and raised a takoyaki with her chopsticks. “Hey, Tsubasa,” she said quietly, then popped it in her mouth as she turned. Kanade could practically see the stars in Tsubasa's eyes as the divine taste of octopus and sauce overwhelmed her gruff, sentinel exterior.

Off to the side, Hibiki dug into piles of okonomiyaki that she’d heaped onto her plate. Beside her, Miku chided her for eating too much. Kirika and Shirabe quietly giggled back and forth as they ate together.

The huge feast quickly disappeared under their ravenous appetites, leaving only a sad pile of empty serving platters splattered with sauce and food shrapnel. Genjuro sat back with a satisfied expression. “Well, that was excellent. I suppose I should start planning for dinner…”

Kanade shot a glance at Genjuro. Genjuro, continuing the train of thought, shot a glance at Hibiki, who was starting to be even more confused by the minute.

“We all know what's gonna happen next, right?” Kanade grinned at Genjuro, who nodded, and then at Hibiki, who still, was getting even more confused.

“...W-we're gonna… cook rice?” Hibiki said with a worried smile, looking from her commander to the Gungnir girl in front of her.

“...Do we even have rice around here?” Tsubasa asked with a quizzical expression.

“Uhm,” A timid voice called, catching everyone's attention. “I brought a pack with me in case Hibiki got too hungry…” Miku said.

“...Oh, that's nice!” Kanade laughed. “By the way, did you put the thing I asked for into Hibiki's bag?”

Miku nodded with a smile. “Sure did.”

“Wait, what?” Hibiki, once again confused, looked at Miku.

Seemingly out of nowhere, both Genjuro and Kanade pulled out a pair of fishing rods, their grin even bigger than before.

“IT'S FISHING TIME!” The two of them yelled.

“Here,” Miku dug into the bag she brought with herself, and handed Hibiki a fishing rod. 

“Oh! Thanks!” Hibiki gladly accepted the rod and rushed to the fishing group.

“Wait!” Another voice called, turning the two redheads and their little blonde companion towards it. Tsubasa rushed over, her eyes shining with excitement. “I want to join you too!”

“Wait, but you don’t have a fishing rod…?” Kanade crossed her arms. She made sure Genjuro brought his and Miku brought Hibiki’s, but she never knew Tsubasa even owned one.

“I’ve a different idea… but don’t worry!” Tsubasa said proudly. “Just believe me!”

“Suuuuuure.” Kanade smiled. She pulled out a pair of hats from her bag and handed one to Tsubasa. “Glad I bought two!”

Tsubasa held onto the hat, frowning.  _ ‘Women want me, fish fear me.’  _ was what the green letters said in bold on the hat. “Huh.”

“Wait, why don’t I get one?” Hibiki protested, seemingly angry at the fact she was left out.

“Nobody fears you!” Kanade laughed, ruffling Hibiki’s hair. “Let’s get going now.”

The four of them eagly strode out the door without a word to the rest, grabbing their bags from the pile by the door.

As Kanade eagerly followed her adoptive dad, Maria hooked her arm in Serena's and whispered to her. "Come on," she said. "Let me show you the real thing to do at the beach!"

"H-huh?" Serena said as Kirika and Shirabe took her other arm, and the neapolitan wielders led her out of the building and down the road to the beach. She thanked her lucky stars that she'd thought to put on a new pair of sandals. "Hey, stop that!"

As the quartet of wielders stepped onto the sand, they marched the bewildered girl over to a patio chair under a beach umbrella, the very same one Serena had had on her shoulder earlier that day. The Zababa duo gently but forcefully sat her down. Maria flicked out a pair of sunglasses that matched hers and placed them on her sister's face, then laid out her towel under the umbrella, stretching out her long legs as she lay down beside her sister.

"See?" Maria said. "Just feel the sun on your body, warming you down to the bone... it's so relaxing."

Serena closed her eyes. "It is kinda nice."

They sat there together for a while, the only sounds were the rise and fall of their chests and the roar of the sea against the shoreline. Kirika and Shirabe rolled out their towels a few meters away under a tree.

"Hey... Serena?" Maria began.

"Yeah?" She answered, rolling over and propping herself up on her elbow.

Maria pulled off her sunglasses. "Is everything... okay with you and Kanade?"

Serena frowned. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I..." Maria trailed off. "I worry about you, that's all."

She smiled and placed an arm on her sister's shoulder. "You don't need to worry. Kanade and I..." She blushed. "It's embarrassing talking about it, but... Kanade and I love each other very much. She might seem kind of overly playful, and sometimes she's a bit of an idiot, but... she's one of the kindest, sweetest people I know."

Maria blushed and tried to look away. "I just... I caught her sneaking into your room last night and..."

Serena laughed, a high, clear note like the peal of a bell. "We didn't do any of  _ that _ sort of stuff last night if that's what you're asking," she said, prompting a sputtering blush from her sister. "What about you? Kanade said she caught  _ you _ sneaking off in the middle of the night too. Did you sheathe the sentinel's mighty sword?"

"Buh-buh-ho-how did you know about that?!" Maria stammered, her blush making her hair look pale.

"Wait, know about what?" Serena said, surprised by the intensity of her sister's embarrassment, and completely oblivious to the hidden innuendo behind her wording. She'd expected a somewhat flustered response, but nothing like this.

"N-nothing!" Maria practically shouted. "Nothing at all!"

"Maria... It's been eight years, but you still have all the same tells when you're lying."

"Eek?!" Maria squeaked. "What do yo—”

"Maria. Talk. Now," Serena said sternly. 

"B-but... it's embarrassing!" Maria's blush was  _ radiant _ now.

"Uh huh. And you just asked me if I had sex with my girlfriend last night," Serena deadpanned. "You don't get to say 'it's embarrassing.'"

Maria squealed and hid her face in her hands, but she couldn't argue with that logic. "Tsubasa has... a new sword."

Serena furrowed her brow. "What does  _ that _ mean?"

"It means she bought a strap-on."

Now it was Serena's turn to blush profusely. "O-oh," she said. "D-did you...?"

Maria refused to make eye contact, her radiant blush only deepening. Any further and she'd be purple. "W-we did."

Serena's eyes widened. "Uh... um... how was it?"

Maria squealed again at the question. "It was... unique."

Just at that moment, Kirika ran over to them. "What are you talking about, dess?"

"Nothing!" Serena and Maria said simultaneously.

"Aww, no fair!" Kirika pouted, crossing her arms. "I know what you were saying."

"O-oh?" Serena said, an expression of pure terror on her face. Maria mirrored the same look.

"Yeah! You were talking about cuddling with your girlfriends, weren't you? Well, neither of them are as good at cuddling as Shirabe!"

"Yes! Cuddling! That's what we were talking about!" Serena said frantically.

"Of course," Maria said, chuckling nervously. "You... you sure saw right through us, huh, Kirika?"

Kirika frowned in suspicion, but thankfully Shirabe arrived to drag her girlfriend away. "Kiri-chan, don't interrupt them."

As the Igalima wielder was steered away from them, Maria turned back towards her sister.

"Uh, Sis?" Serena said with a grin, pointing at her face. "My eyes are up here."

"Huh?!" Maria said, turning her eyes away from her sister's chest. "Wha...?"

"You were staring at my boobs," she said frankly.

"What? No, I—”

"I saw you, Sis."

"I... it's just... the last time I saw you, you were a child," Maria said, causing her sister's expression to immediately sober. "It's just... it's hard to believe you're here… And you're all grown up..."

Serena took her hand and pressed it to her cheek. "I'm really here, Sis."

"And… you're not a child anymore," Maria said, a tear tugging at the corner of her eye. "You're a beautiful young woman, and... I just wish I'd had the chance to see you grow up."

Serena crawled off the chair and gave her sister a hug. "You too, Maria. You're all grown up too." She poked her chest with a mischievous grin. "Especially in certain areas."

Maria yelped and jumped back. "W-what are you—” Her blush was back in force. She harrumphed. "Well, yours aren't so bad, either!"

"They're still no match for yours," she said. "I'm sure Tsubasa loves them."

"W-well I'm sure Kanade loves yours!" Maria said, so flustered that she had no idea what she was saying anymore.

"She does," Serena said smugly. "She says they're the perfect size for her hand."

"S-s-since when are you this open?!" Maria stammered.

Serena laughed as she climbed back onto her chair. "Maybe I've livened up in my old age!"

Uncontrollably embarrassed, Maria gave a nervous chuckle, then glanced at the sky. “W-we should head back…”

“Alright,” Serena said. “Let’s go. I wonder how that fishing caper went. All I can imagine is Tsubasa-san trying to go spearfishing with a katana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter there’s more hinting at what happened to Serena and Kanade. Worry not, we have decided on a contrivance to explain it and we are working on writing it out. I can comfortably say that it was not, in fact, a wizard.


	6. Wonder

Serena rolled over as the door slowly slid open. She watched through half-lidded eyes as Kanade slipped inside and knelt beside her. “Hey…” she said sleepily, lifting the blanket to allow Kanade to snuggle up next to her.

But Kanade didn’t crawl under the blanket like she expected. “Hey, I wanna show you something.” She said, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Huh…?” Serena said, her eyes starting to slide into lucidity. “What do you mean?” She propped herself up on one elbow.

“It's a surprise! I bet you'll love it~” She stood up and offered Serena her hand. “C'mon, just the two of us.”

Serena slowly pushed the blanket and looked down at herself. “Are we going somewhere? Because I’m not exactly dressed to go anywhere…”

“Ooooooh~” Kanade looked Serena up and down, wiggling her eyebrows. “That's hot. But yeah, we're going outside, so maybe you should wear something.”

Serena threw off the blanket completely and started to get up, only for a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts to drop into her lap. She looked up at Kanade in surprise, but she just shrugged.

“Easier to just throw whatever on yourself, and what's better than a hoodie that's big on you?” Kanade said with a smile. “The shorts are yours, though.”

Serena smiled. “You think of everything, don’t you?” she said as she pulled on her clothes. She interlaced her fingers with Kanade’s and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Let’s go see what you want to show me.”

Kanade led Serena out of the building, smiling proudly. She moved away from the builded area and laid down on the soft grass with Serena. “Look up.”

Serena turned her eyes up to the sky and gasped. Stretched across the sky was a shimmering belt of stars of every color and luminosity. “It’s… beautiful…” she breathed in awe.

“They are,” Kanade sighed as she turned on her side to look at Serena, her smile softening. “But no star is as beautiful as you.” She reached out and cupped Serena's cheek in her hand, gently turning it to face her.

Serena placed her hand over Kanade’s and looked at her with big, wide eyes.

Kanade leaned in and gave Serena a peck on her lips as she cuddled closer to her. 

They stayed cuddled for no less than ten minutes, letting the evening cicadas fill the air with their summer songs.

“Hey, look.” Kanade looked up at the sky, raising her hand toward the south-eastern direction “That’s Mars,” she said, pointing at a bareful red point in the sky.

“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Serena said, snuggling closer to her girlfriend and resting her head on Kanade’s chest, just under her chin.

“Aww. You know, there’s a planet that’s the same color as your eyes, too,” Kanade said.

“Oh?”

Kanade smiled. “It’s called Earth.” She patted Serena’s head. “‘Cause you’re my whole world.”

Serena stifled a giggle. “That was…” she lifted her head to look at Kanade “...incredibly cheesy.”

“Hey!” Kanade protested, ruffling Serena’s head. “I’m trying, okay?”

The giggle rang out fully this time. “You are, and it’s  _ adorable _ .” She rested her head back on Kanade’s chest. “I wonder what it’s like out there.”

“It’s hot.” Kanade said, as her smirk grew wider. “But I’m  _ much _ hotter.”

Serena raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?” she said.

“...No, it’s actually, like, minus twenty seven degrees celsius on average.”

“That’s… pretty damn cold,” Serena said.

“Heh, it’s even colder than that lake bitch.” Kanade snorted. “What even happened to her anyway?”

Serena grinned. “They shipped her off to a relic containment facility in the Sahara. Doubt she’ll find any ponds out there!”

“Oh, I cannot describe how happy that makes me... but nevermind about her; Mars is much much better than she is. Did you know it’s the third smallest planet in our solar system?”

“Hm?” Serena furrowed her brow. “I thought it was the second smallest?”

Kanade blinked a few times, before she lifted herself off on her arms, causing Serena to look at her. “Pluto is a planet, and you can fight me if you disagree!” 

Serena blinked and pushed Kanade back down on the soft grass, planting a firm but gentle kiss on her forehead. “Hush. Pluto is a planet, okay?”

“Yes.” Kanade smiled softly and pulled Serena back into her embrace. “Did you know that Pluto has tectonic plates made of ice?”

“Sounds cold. Maybe we can go there next summer,” Serena said.

“We can sit under a volcano and watch the plumes of water and carbon dioxide ice shoot into the sky,” Kanade mused. “Apparently it’s very sparkly.”

Serena just hummed happily as she cuddled with her girlfriend.

“It would make a much better home than that anemone,” Kanade laughed, poking Serena in the shoulder.

Serena frowned. “The heating bills would be killer. What about Mars? It’s not quite as chilly there, right?”

“Oh, it’s a  _ lot _ less chilly.” Kanade went quiet for a bit after that, until finally the dam broke and her desire to share fun facts spilled over from her mind into reality. “Did you know Mars has the deepest canyon in our solar system?”

“I didn’t,” Serena said. “How deep is it?”

“About eight kilometers deep.” Kanade answered, and her smirk quickly returned. “But you know what can do deeper?”

Serena answered instantly. “Not you, at least not while we’re on the lawn!” She lightly rapped the top of Kanade’s head.

“Awww…” Kanade sighed. “And here I thought it’d work. ...Do you want to hear more about stars? Or are we just going to lie here till we almost fall asleep?”

“Both are good,” Serena whispered.

“...So what do you know about black holes?” Kanade said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

“I know that they’re not stars,” Serena teased back.

“Hush, you. They’re cool, okay?”

“Mmmmm,” Serena hummed as she snuggled closer to Kanade while she continued to describe stars, nebulas, and other cosmic features. Even if she had no particular interest in astronomy, she was happy to listen to her girlfriend as she giddily described the nature of the universe.

“...So the Erindanus Supervoid is one of the biggest cosmic structures, but it’s not as big as the KBC Void, which is where we live. It’s over 2 billion light years across!” Kanade finished. “...huh?”

She looked down at her beloved, softly resting with her head in her lap. Her chest slowly rose and fell peacefully in time with her breathing. Kanade smiled and snaked her arms under Serena, gently picking her up into her arms. Serena smiled gently and snuggled against Kanade’s shoulder in her sleep.

Kanade lifted her and slowly carried her into the house, bearing her in her arms to Serena’s room and gently laying her down on her futon. She parted Serena’s hair and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “...but nothing, not even a star, is greater than my love for you.”


End file.
